Hellcat Squadran: Days of Calm
What Makes A Great Teacher: "Ugh..." sighed Keryn as she massaged her head and reached for her glass of wine. "Something wrong, sweety?" asked Rachel as she walked into her wife's office. "It is En...again." sighed the brunette and leaned back in her chair, placing the bottle on her chest and starring at the ceiling. Which actually bore frescos painted by Enarion. "What did he do? This time." asked the blonde sighing and pouring her own glass. "He dismembered another student today. Again in sword play class. I am seriously considering pulling him out as an instructor." groaned Keryn and replaced the wine glass on the table. "You know...he does at the very least rivals you in sword play...and well he has severe problems distinguishing between combat and training." "Are you defending him cutting of that girls arms and legs? This is the third time this week. I mean I know they provoke him and...it is in his nature to exceed at combat and completely fall into it. But this is...excessive even for his standards." "Well she will regenerate those limbs, no? Also...as far as I know he and Ren have been arguing back and forth this whole week. Been quite straining actually." "Oh? How come I wasn't told of this." "Well...she is criticising his teaching style...you do know his courses have a ninety percent failure rate. Like really only the best of the best, pass any of it. I may remind you, you failed his art class to...Oh and Ren failed his unarmed combat class...so she isn't overly happy about that either." "Still think we should find a different job for him." Keryn grumbled. "He needs to learn that he has a place in the community. He still sees himself as secluded, anyway. We'll teach him responsibility and respect for others with this. His relationship with Ren will take more work..." Rachel said. "Still, if people are getting hurt like this then it entirely defeats the purpose of being a teacher. You know, nobody's learning." "That is true. Then we should try to make sure that he gets the best out of his students, because so far all he's doing is trying to get fired." "And when you consider I was the one who promised a safe environment..." "Why don't you challenge En? Take on his ego. Claim he can't be a good teacher, claim he can't get a course with a minimum dropout rate. He can't resist a challenge, you know that." "I'm honestly afraid of how that would go over. Did you know we've had three dropouts from the academy because of him?" Keryn sighed. "I know we can't go picnicking to Ferion because of him, too. But I think deep down En is afraid. We both know it. He is different in regards to Erachi and to be fair, none of the students are nice to him. Even before all this they just made fun of him." "And I did what I could to stamp it out, but at the same time, I don't think he'll learn what he needs to from this." Keryn said. "Then what do you suggest?" Rachel asked. "Honestly...maybe we let grandma give it a shot." Keryn said after a moment. "Would be all for that, but En needs to do something productive." "She'd have something for him, trust me." "Oh, do tell?" "I dunno, my mom always has ideas." Keryn said. "Well...I'll wait for her to think of something before firing him." Rachel said. "Well technically that decision lies with me as headmaster..." Keryn pointed out. "You assigned me to choose instructors, no?" Rachel asked. "Assign yes, but I did sign all the approvals, so technically the authority lies with me." "Well...true. I still think we should wait to hear your mom's idea first, though." "Works for me." "Good." Rachel said, seeming to relax a little bit. ---- Enarion knocked on the door to his grandmother's house, and after a moment or two, she answered. "Hi grandmother." He said. "Oh, hello little one." She said, using her customary nickname for her grandchild. "How're you?" She asked. "I'm good. How are you?" "I am rather well. What can I do for you, or is this just a visit?" She asked, opening the door for him to enter. "My mums sent me to come see you." He replied, entering the house. "How come?" "I have no idea. I didn't do anything wrong." "Why don't you come in? I made brownies." She said. To the shock of any who knew her, Clara had taken up baking as a hobby, in addition to her drawing and artistry. "Can I have sugar on them?" "Why not?" She replied with a smile. "My mums always say no." "Well, are they here?" She asked, her smile widening. "No." "Exactly." "Hmm. I should come here more often." "Now, since they're obviously concerned, tell me everything that happened prior to them sending you here." "I only taught the students. And they all failed, including Ren." He said, matter of factly. "How did you teach it?" She asked. "By theoretical explanation, providing examples, then exercise." "What was included in these steps?" She asked, and he could see her own mastery of the sword show in her eyes, the way she knew the art of the blade and the way to teach it. "The very same way you taught me." "...In practice what seemed to go wrong?" Clara asked. "They were moving too slow, left themselves wide open with every swing." "And were you using your best ability?" "No. If I had they'd be dead, all of them." Enarion said. "And what did you do to them?" "Nothing permanent, but I made sure they'd not leave their guard down again." "How many limbs did you remove?" "Only an arm and a leg, but they'll be done regenerating by this evening." He said, getting a sigh out of Clara. "You disapprove?" "En, sweetie, that doesn't teach them right." "It helped when you taught me, granted you couldn't actually cut me, but you didn't pull your strikes." "Yes I did." Clara said. "Not in the end." "Yes, I did." Clara replied. "And what you're doing with the students, it won't teach them anything other than that they are weak and have no hope." "You're too emotionally committed to this. One must break stones in order to craft mighty pillars." "One must also realize that people are not stone." "I can't even talk metaphors with you, can I?" "Nope." Clara said with a smile. "You do realize your students regularly fall against your mothers' in sparring?" "What are you trying to tell me?" "That your teaching is missing something." "Blaming the teacher for the failings of the student is hardly fair. Those that would really want to excel would. Problem is they don't want that, they'll settle for mediocre." "Take it like this. When one only knows what they know, then that is all they know. If another knows more, then they will fall against them. If one wishes to win, one must build upon their knowledge slowly and securely, rather than be thrown into the inferno." "Surviving the inferno will only serve to improve them." "Well, you still repeat many mistakes you have in combat." Clara pointed out. "That is done to give the impression that I'm...equally flawed. To help people understand that I too am made of flesh and blood. A necessity you yourself taught me." "Well, in that aspect you're not exactly stupendous." "I'll take that as a compliment, and where is the brownie I was promised?" "We'll turn this into a lesson." Clara said, holding a brownie up. "Try to take the brownie." "Why?" "Just try it." "Why?" "I challenge you to try and take it." "You'll just use some cheap trick to stop me." "Oh?" Clara said with a smile. "Are you turning down a challenge?" "Fine." Enarion said and started to reach for the brownie. Just as his fingers closed to grip it, Clara somehow, in a motion he missed completely, moved it so he missed, a few inches to the side. "We're not playing cat and mouse granny." "You're failing right now." She reminded him. "Can't we skip to the bit where you're helpful?" "You need to improve your brownie grabbing abilities." "You need to improve your giving your grandson brownies ability." Enarion grumbled. "I'm teaching you something here, exactly as you teach it." "No, I'm not taking sugar from them. I'm not a monster." Enarion said, following the brownie with his eyes. "They would view you as such for removing a limb." "Limbs you can live without, besides, they grow back." "That's not the point, what do you think is stopping you from taking the brownie." "Me not trying." Enarion said. "Try." Clara said, and in response, Enarion teleported the brownie from her hand to his. "Ok, got it. So what did you teach me?" "Look behind you." She said, pointing. Enarion looked and saw a large plate of brownies on the kitchen table. "Okay, more brownies." "If you'd known they were there, you would just take one. Since you didn't know, you couldn't do it." "How does that translate to my students?" "They don't know how to grow because they aren't allowed to." "I am teaching them everything, showing them everything. They just don't listen." "It is the role of the teacher to hold back as necessary, and increase your output as the students' abilities grow." Clara said. "They should have been ready. You said yourself that a battlefield is an relentless teacher." "They are, but here there is no battlefield. Here is where we learn in a way that allows our progress to be done safely." Clara sighed. "This is different." "I don't see any difference." "A battlefield has death. We're not trying to kill here. Give me a day with your students and they'll learn more than any amount of time with you, the way you teach them right now." Clara said. "You sound like Ren. But still wrong." "Difference is I've been teaching longer than either of you has been alive." Clara said. "Technically I'm older." "No you are not." Clara chuckled. "Maybe you need a break from teaching." "Nah, Ren was mean today. I'll keep teaching." "I'm serious, give me your students for a few days and I'll make them grow." Clara said. "What would I do?" "You'd find something to occupy yourself." "Done, teach students." Enarion said. "Something else." "I'm not allowed to leave the plane anymore..." He complained. "Come on, what harm would it do you to take a week off?" "Boredom." "Go ask one of your other moms for something to do. Or I can ask them to take your students instead." "Do that then." He said, and Clara sighed and grabbed a commlink. "Hey, Keryn, it's mom. I'm just wondering, mind if I take over En's classes for the week? Awesome, thanks sweetie." She hung up. "She said yes." "Good. Well, I've got to go anyway." "Alrighty then. Hug." She ordered and hugged her grandson. After that, he left, grabbing another brownie on the way out. ---- The next day, Clara walked into Enarion's swordplay class, which was in a dojo style of building. She found and looked over the schedule he had left her. "Rather rudimentary stuff, little one." She murmured. "He'd probably call it the level everyone should be at...you'd think they'd move on to more advanced things..." "Clara?" She looked up and saw three students walking in, and she recognized all of them. Renate and two of her friends, Kensi and Dana. "Hi, uh, why're you here today?" "I'm teaching." Clara said, giving them a bright smile. "What..." Kensi and Dana said at the same time. "Yep, I'm taking over for the week. All of his classes. Either of you in political sciences or history?" Clara asked and both girls nodded as Renate shook her head. "Well, I will be seeing you then. You can start by just warming up freely for now, we'll start when everyone gets here." Clara waited calmly, watching the girls as they practiced movements and combinations with one another. Clara didn't see a problem, save a few minor technical errors, and made note of it as more and more students began to enter. "We'll spend the first fifteen minutes on free practice and warm up." She called out and began to watch the confused students practice, contemplating why Enarion was holding the students back. When the warmup period was over, she had the class show her everything Enarion had been making them work on. Aside from rather typical technical mistakes and errors, she didn't find anything wrong with them, and gave everyone varying degrees of passes. With that, she moved on and started teaching some more advanced techniques and strategies she had picked up over the years and lifetimes within her memory. "Dana, could you join me so I could give an example of this footwork move?" "Ok...fine..." "Something wrong?" Clara asked, worried she'd offended her somehow. "No, everything is ok." "Would you be alright with attacking me at ten percent speed?" "Sure." "Thank you kindly." Clara said and bowed to the student. "Pay attention to my footwork, class." She nimbly, slowly, sidestepped and slipped around, her feet mainly grazing the floor as she moved in circles around Dana as an example. "Now you've seen how, speed it up a bit?" She requested, and Dana started putting more behind her swings, slashing and stabbing with more conviction. Yet somehow, she was unable to hit Clara, who moved around her and avoided all of her attacks for a solid minute before ending the demonstration. "Can I step back in line now?" Dana asked at the end. "Well, everyone else is going to partner up, and I was thinking of giving you a bonus lesson as a thank you for the help." Clara said. "Okay..." Dana said as the rest of the class began to pair up. "This isn't gonna end up like Enarion's bonus lessons, is it?" "What are those like?" Clara asked. "Painful...humiliating..." "Why?" Clara asked, surprised. "He is Enarion." "That's actually a fair point." Clara said. "But no, I'm actually gonna show you the counter to what they're practicing, give you a bit of a head start." She explained with a wink. "That is nice of you, are you sure you and Enarion are related?" "Yep!" Clara replied, quite chipper. "Shall we begin?" "Yes, sure." Dana said, and Clara started to show her the particular leg sweeps that worked against the movement maneuvers she'd been teaching. At the end of the class, Clara called everything off and dismissed the class. "I'll see you all tomorrow!" She said brightly, getting that satisfied feeling of having taught a good class. "Is Enarion being punished?" Kensi asked. "Nah, we made a bet." Clara said, smiling at her. "Enarion bets? He always tells us such activities are unethical." Dana said. "I also challenged him to find something else to do for a week." Clara admitted. "Then why is Ren here?" said Kensi. "Because he is in the doghouse." Renate replied, looking unamused. "Because you failed a class?" Dana piped up. "No, because he's a dick about it." "How is that different from every other day?" Kensi asked. "To be fair..." Clara interrupted. "His grading techniques are...extreme, to say the least, and rather unfair." "All I can say is I dunno why this is driving a wedge between you two." Dana said to Renate. "We all know his grading is wrong and unfair anyway." "Because he doesn't stop trying to teach it even when we go home." Renate grumbled. "How? I imagine he talks about something else when you're alone together." Kensi said, looking surprised. "Anyway, I'll talk to Keryn about getting everyone's marks changed." Clara said. "Any of you in his art class?" "Me." Dana said. "Well, since that is planned for next period, I'll walk you there." Clara said. "There is a plan?" "Indeed, for this week." Clara replied. "He writes them?" Dana asked. "For me, anyway." Clara shrugged. "Fascinating." "So when will I be seeing you two next?" Clara asked Renate and Kensi. "Any of the others, aside from art." Kensi said. "Unarmed." Renate said. "Well, I will see you then." Clara said. "Shall we?" She asked Dana. "Sure." Dana said and they started walking to the art class area. On the way, Clara glanced at her. "You look lost in thought, what's up?" She asked. "You're pretty." "Oh, you flatter me." Clara laughed. "Well, you are." "Thank you, so are you." Clara said. "Oh I know." Dana replied, getting another laugh from Clara. "Confident, I see." "Well, I have mirrors at home, so...yeah." Dana said, making Clara laugh again. "You're taking this a lot better than Ren." "With the people I grew up with, I'm used to it." Clara shrugged. "Ren was totally freaked out though. She wouldn't talk to me for a week." "She had a rougher youth, I'm not surprised." Clara said. "You know she still blushes when I look at her." "She's adorable, that one." "She's so cute. I still need to get her drunk." "Let her make that decision on her own, Dana." Clara chided gently. "I'm kidding, I know she likes Enarion." "Well I'd hope so." "Doesn't mean I don't want to try her at least once, though." Dana said. "Don't think that's gonna happen." Clara said with a shrug. "Still want to." "Oh well, plenty of fish in the sea to try instead." Clara told her. "Bet you are boring too, though." "Probably." Clara said with a smile. "I am sure that's a yes or no thing." Dana said. "We'll never know." Clara laughed. "Boring for me means straight." "It's a mystery." Clara said, grinning widely now. "I can ask your daughter." "About me or her?" Clara asked. "I know what your daughter likes." Dana said. "So you want to know about me?" Clara said, finding the whole conversation quite amusing. "Indeed." "Well, maybe I just like to keep that mysterious quality about me going." Clara said. "Fine, be like that." "Feel free to guess though." Clara said, sitting down at the main desk of the art room. "I know you are straight, what with the husband and everything." Dana said and started reading on her phone. "Doesn't necessarily mean straight." Clara said. "So...I can have fun with you?" Dana asked, only getting a laugh out of Clara. "I'll note you down for 'once I've have more drinks' then." "I stopped drinking four years ago." Clara said. "Everyone I know says drunk people are fun. I'm like Enarion, I can't get drunk." "Maybe I just prefer sobriety." Clara pointed out. "Why?" "Healthier." "Even Enarion drinks, though." "That's his choice then." Clara said with a shrug. "I wonder from which of his mums he got the habit." "All of them." "That bad?" "Nah. Willing to bet Keryn and Emilia are the big influences though." "Why so?" "Keryn's always been that way and Kata told me about how Emilia tried to put ecstasy in her tea." "I'm fairly certain Emilia doesn't know what ecstasy does to normal people." Dana said. "Probably not." Clara laughed as the rest of the students walked in. The students worked in silence throughout the class, and when the time ended, Clara walked around and came up to Dana's portrait last. "Done." Dana said. "It's lovely." Clara said, smiling at it. "Alright, I'll mark everyone's work during lunch, class dismissed." She called out. "Date?" Dana asked her after the other students had filed out. "Hmmm?" Clara asked. "You, me, on a date?" "That was quick." "You are pretty." "Well...I'm rather uncomfortable at the idea of dating a student as a general..." Clara said. "Why?" "Just...feels not quite right. Besides, you don't even know if I roll that way." "I'll get you to roll that way." Dana said, causing Clara to roll her eyes. "You'll enjoy it." "I will have to pass, Dana, sorry." Clara said gently. "Oh...why?" "Just...doesn't really feel right." Clara said awkwardly. "I am only in this school because of boredom. If I drop out can we have fun then?" "I, uh..." Clara laughed slightly. "I need to mark these things, Dana." "Don't see how one makes the other thing impossible." "Privately." Clara said. "I can be private." "Alone." "You don't want that." "As of this moment, I'm afraid I do." Clara sighed. "You are mean." Dana sighed and left. "Sorry...I really am..." Clara sighed sadly. ---- At the end of the week, on the Saturday, when the students were out of classes for the weekend, Clara was training on her own in one of the more modern training facilities than what Enarion typically operated in. As she finished one of her patterns, one of the first she had learned as a Jedi padawan, she heard her communicator start buzzing. She deactivated her saber and wrapped her Jedi robe around her as she walked over to answer it. As she did so, a hologram of Keryn's face appeared. "Hi honey, what's up?" She asked her daughter. "Hey, can you come into the school and meet me in my office?" Keryn asked, looking stressed. "Yeah, sure, what's wrong?" Clara asked. "I'll explain when you get here, it's kind of...yeah." Keryn didn't need to say anything else, and Clara hopped on her speeder bike and rode over to the Erachi Academy. She found Keryn's office and entered, finding her daughter and daughter in law looking extremely worried in the middle of the room. Katalena and Emilia were sitting side by side in chairs to their left, Kata looking annoyed while Emilia also looked worried. Renate was standing off to one side leaning against the wall, looking like a mix of Katalena and Emilia. Both Kensi and Dana looked concerned as well. "Hey mom." Keryn said as Clara entered. "What's going on?" Clara asked, growing worried herself. Keryn reached behind her and picked up a piece of paper. "This is Enarion's letter of resignation, with no explanation of why." Keryn said. "He's also vanished. Since the second day you worked his job. None of us have a clue where, he's left no sign or clue, and we can't sense him at all." "Not even you two?" Clara asked, looking at Dana and Kensi, who shook their heads. "Well then...this isn't good. I've not heard anything from him either." "Yeah, was worried about that." Keryn sighed. "Listen, don't think this is your fault, none of us think it is." "We were kinda hoping you'd be ok with keeping an eye on his students until we find him." Rachel said. "Yeah, of course." Clara said. "If I can help find him in any way I will, too." "Thanks, mom." Rachel said. "Just, everyone keep an eye out for any word of him, ok? We're gonna go out and look for him ourselves." Everyone nodded and slipped away, Renate looking mildly angry as she did so first. Ruins and Clubs: "WHAT?!" exclaimed Vanessa as her eyes shot open in astonishment. She was a guest at Keryn's mansion and was sitting in one of the numerous living rooms. Opposite her sat, Enarion and Renate, as well as Clara and Keryn. The reason for the young woman's shocked impression, was the fact that she had just learned how old En and Ren were. "You-you mean, that you, Renate are only four years old and you, Enarion are only six years old? WHHHAAAAATTT?" "Yes we are, but that doesn't mean we are any less normal than any others." explained Enarion, grabbing another sugar cube and popping it into his mouth. "No...you are everything but normal, En." corrected Ren, as she took the bowl of sugar cubes away from her boyfriend, who like a small child began to reach for it with both hands, which amused his mother and grandmother to no end. "At least I did not commit murder." answered Enarion, giving up on trying to reach the sugar bowl. "What?!" said Keryn, Clara and Vanessa in unison. "Oh not this again..." sighed Ren, rolling her eyes. "You murdered Mr. Cuddles!" retorted Enarion, crossing his arms before his chest. "Wait, are you talking about that life-seized teddy bear you got from Rachel and me, when you were still a baby?" asked Keryn incredulous. "Yes, my Mr. Cuddles, and Ren, murdered him." complained the Girei. "En...plush animals can't be murdered and knowing you, you probably deserved it." sighed Clara, waving her hand. "Yes, we argued over pizza, and it ended with him throwing that pizza in my face. So I cut off Mr. Cuddles head and put it next to his pillow in the morning." "You must be the weirdest couple ever..." mumbled Vanessa. "No, it is okay now. We sorted our differences out and I reattached Mr. Cuddles head, and now I get all the cuddles I demand." chimed Ren, and jumped over onto En's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You know, I don't get how you two, can go from arguing to being total love-birds in a single second." wondered Keryn out loud, while Vanessa simply looked on them in awe. "Because we are awesome." explained En, and held up his hand for Renate to high five him. "No high fives, during cuddling, I thought we agreed on that." sighed Ren, pulling his hand back down. "You know...I'll go back to a place where there are normal people." exclaimed Vanessa and walked towards the door. "You mean to Zeta's base? Where Katalena is dating a child she watched grow up? Also...you'd be missing out on all the mousse au chocolate." purred Renate from her comfortable position. At which point Vanessa froze, and turned around a glow in her eyes. "Did you just say chocolate? I LOVE chocolate." True Art: How Not To Get Engaged: Yeah...No: